TROUBLE FOR TRUEX & BLANEY ON LAP 3!
Massive playoff implications for the No. 19 team who were seemingly safe entering the #Southern500, but are done for the night.@MartinTruex_Jr will have to watch to see where his playoff chances end up.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/qnllBdeLhQ
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) September 1, 2024
Coming into Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Martin Truex, Jr. needed a solid race, and basically, things to not go horrifically wrong.
Well, things have gone horrifically wrong, and now, after a major accident on the second lap of the 367-lap gauntlet around Darlington Raceway, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will have to wait and see whether he’ll make the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Truex was running inside the top-10 when his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE snapped loose underneath William Byron in the first corner, before overcorrecting and slamming into Ryan Blaney.
The Mayetta, New Jersey-native will be credited with a 36th-place finish in Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500, only ahead of Ryan Blaney, who entered the race fourth in the regular-season championship fight.
Here’s the situation… Martin Truex, Jr. would fail to make the #NASCARPlayoffs if ALL OF THE FOLLOWING were to happen tonight:
– There is a new winner from below the cutline.
– Ty Gibbs scores 20 (or more) points.
– Chris Buescher scores 38 (or more) points.#NASCAR https://t.co/0Tm5nGSIYi— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) September 1, 2024
Blaney, after complaining about his wrist on the radio, exited the infield care center quickly, reporting that things were all good. That’s crucial, as the NASCAR Cup Series heads into the post-season next weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“Yeah, I was hurt for a little bit, but I think I will be okay. I am alright. I saw Martin (Truex Jr.) get loose, and I thought he was going to spin to the bottom, so I kind of gassed up to get around him, but it was just terrible timing,” said Blaney. “He overcorrected, and we were just right there. Gosh, I hate wrecking on lap 2. It is one of those things where you think he is going to spin to the bottom, but his rear is hooked up but he just came up. I hate it for everyone at Menards and Ford. Our car was great and I just didn’t get any laps. Hopefully, next week goes a little bit better.”
Martin Truex, Jr. was critical of himself after exiting the infield care center, saying that his Joe Gibbs Racing team didn’t deserve to be in the situation he’s put them in.
Martin Truex Jr. is disappointed in himself for a Lap 3 incident that took him and Ryan Blaney out of today’s race. Truex says he feels sorry for his @JoeGibbsRacing team as they deserved better than this. pic.twitter.com/jHI9BqAhDX
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) September 1, 2024
With more than 300 laps remaining, Truex will just have to be patient and see if the cards fall in a way that grants the No. 19 a place in his final NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
